One of the most complained about energy suppliers is going bust, with one customer saying they found out about the news through social media.

Rebel Energy announced it is ceasing to trade, becoming the latest supplier to go under.

This means that their entire customer base is now left without a firm – that is until Ofgem appoints a new one for them.

A statement said: ‘Rebel Energy is ceasing to trade. Ofgem, the energy regulator, is appointing a new supplier for our customers.’

Ofgem assured people that they will not see any disruption to their energy supplies, adding that they are protected.

Rebel Energy’s failure is the latest in a long line of suppliers going under in recent years.

The news has impacted customer Jacqueline Coffey-Raven, who lives in Colchester, Essex.

Like many people this winter, she has been scared to put her heating on and said she received no communication that Rebel Energy had gone bust.

‘Rebel Energy has been a joke since day one,’ she told Metro.

‘I went with Rebel Energy when I had to move flat back in September 2024 because they were the cheapest but of course you get what you pay for.

‘I’ve tried to use the app to keep track of what I am spending but since day one it hasn’t worked.

‘I’ve contacted them weekly since September to sort this and all I ever got told was they were in the process of building a new one.

‘Even though I have a smart meter, Rebel Energy cannot take readings from smart meters so I’ve had to do them by hand.

‘All in all, they have been pretty shocking. Their customer service is appalling.’

Jacqueline added that Rebel Energy ‘didn’t bother’ to tell customers like her that it had ceased to trade, instead she found out about the news on social media.

‘We still don’t know who we are paying at the moment,’ she added.

‘Because of the problems with Rebel Energy, I’ve been scared to put my heating on before because I don’t know how much I’m paying.’

Alex Belsham-Harris, head of energy policy at Citizens Advice, said: ‘The failure of Rebel Energy will worry its 90,000 customers.

‘With energy costs and household bills rising, this only adds to an already stressful situation.’

Simon Francis, Coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, added: ‘This is just another sign of the underlying failures in our energy market where the wider industry profits to the tune of billions of pounds, yet households remain at risk of having to pay the costs for failed energy suppliers.

‘While it is reassuring that customers of Rebel Energy should be protected under the Supplier of Last Resort measures, this will not be the end of the story.

‘There are huge questions for Ofgem to answer, including the circumstances around this supplier’s collapse and why the regulator’s new liquidity rules appear to have failed in this instance.’

Ofgem said suppliers must now have capital to cover their risks and ring-fence certain areas of their finances such as customer credit balances under new rules.

But some companies ‘will still fail occasionally’, it said, with the SoLR safety net ensuring that affected customers faced as little disruption as possible.

Ofgem’s director general for markets, Tim Jarvis, said: ‘Rebel Energy customers do not need to worry, and I want to reassure them that they will not see any disruption to their energy supply, and any credit they may have on their accounts remains protected under Ofgem’s rules.

‘We are working quickly to appoint new suppliers for all impacted customers.

‘We’d advise customers not to try to switch supplier in the meantime, and a new supplier will be in touch in the coming weeks with further information.

‘We have worked hard to improve the financial resilience of suppliers in recent years, implementing a series of rules to make sure they can weather unexpected shocks.

‘But like any competitive market, some companies will still fail from time to time, and our priority is making sure consumers are protected if that happens.’

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A British tourist who disappeared after a stag do in the Spanish resort of Benidorm has been found.

Jason Taylor, 36, had been partying with friends in Alicante, and was last seen at Alicante-Elche Airport on Saturday morning.

He was due to fly back to Birmingham at 10.30am, but never boarded the easyJet flight.

An urgent search was launched to find the Welsh engineer, who was missing for more than 112 hours.

On Tuesday afternoon Dyfed-Powys Police said Mr Taylor had been found and was with his family.

A relative of Mr Taylor posted on Facebook to confirm the news, adding: ‘Thank you all for sharing and caring.’

His wife, Maria, told the Spanish Eye today that police obtained CCTV from the airport after it emerged there had been a problem with his boarding pass.

She said she has ‘no idea’ why her husband turned and left the airport, but believes he may have stepped out to ‘clear his head’ and got lost.

‘He waited in the queue for the desk for about three to four minutes and then walked out the airport, he went towards Torrellano way and that is the last they can see of him,’ Maria said.

She said that family members flew out to Spain yesterday to help with the search.

Jason’s friend Gaz Edmunds explained how he ended up getting separated from the group after they arrived to the airport together at around 8.30am.

He said: ‘Our easyJet flight to Birmingham was due to depart at 10.30am, with the gates closing at 10am.

‘Jason had lost his phone so had to access his boarding pass from someone else in the group assisting who was already passed the gate.

‘We tried several times to scan his boarding pass but it was not accepted and the gate would not open, an error message came up saying to contact the airline.

‘So Jason went to go and ask for assistance. One member of the group waited behind the gate for him to return but this was the last we saw or heard from him.’

Gaz said this behaviour is ‘very unlike’ his friend, adding that his family are ‘worried sick.’

‘Jason was not ill, or drunk or incapable.’ he added. ‘Several people are flying back out today to try to find him and understand what has happened.’

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office confirmed to Metro that it is supporting the family of a British man missing in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities.

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A disaster of unimaginable scale looms over Japan as its government is warning that the next ‘megaquake’ could kill as many as 300,000 people.

Such a seismic monster – which could trigger a tsunami powerful enough to obliterate entire coastal regions off the Pacific coast – has been feared for a long time.

Towering waves that would sweep away infrastructure and leave nothing but devastation in its wake.

There are concerns it is a matter of when – not if – after the government sounded the alarm in a report published on Monday.

The warning comes as the death toll from the powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has surpassed 2,700, with more than 3,900 injured and at least 270 missing.

The figures have been updated from a previous estimate, made in 2014, for the potential consequences of a huge earthquake along the Nankai Trough south of Japan.

The 500-mile undersea trench runs from Shizuoka, west of Tokyo, to the southern tip of Kyushu island.

It is where the Philippine Sea oceanic tectonic plate is ‘subducting’ – or slowly slipping – underneath the continental plate that Japan sits atop.

The plates become stuck as they move, storing up vast amounts of energy that is released when they break free, causing potentially massive earthquakes.

The Cabinet Office’s disaster management working group said up to 215,000 people would be killed by a tsunami, 73,000 by the collapse of buildings and 9,000 by fire.

But the predicted toll as a whole is lower than the 2014 estimate which said that up to 323,000 people would die.

Over the past 1,400 years, such megaquakes in the Nankai Trough have happened every 100 to 200 years.

The last one happened in 1946, but scientists say it is extremely difficult to predict them.

In January, a government panel said the probability of such a disaster in the next 30 years has marginally increased, with a 75-82% chance of it happening.

Last August, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued its first ever ‘megaquake advisory’ under rules drawn up after the devastating 2011 earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster.

It said that the likelihood of a new major earthquake along the Nankai Trough was higher than normal after a magnitude 7.1 jolt in southern Japan which injured 14 people.

The advisory was lifted after a week but caused shortages of rice and other staples as people replenished their emergency stocks.

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A speedboat carrying 36 tourists and crew erupted into a fiery explosion off the coast of Thailand.

At least six people have been in injured – with the captain among them – in the fire near Maiton Island, off Phuket Island, this morning.

The vessel, Tana Marine 555, was just 50 meters offshore when the blast ripped through it, turning it into a fireball.

Footage from the scene shows the flames raging, sending thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky.

The force sent debris flying as flames rapidly consumed the boat, leaving people on board with mere seconds to react.

The tourists, mainly from Russia and Kazakhstan, were jumped into the water, swimming for their lives. They were later rescued by a passing boat.

Nachapong Pranit, director of the Phuket Marine Office, said a rescue team was deployed after receiving a report at 9:20 am.

The Phuket Information Centre said: ‘The fire spread rapidly. There were 36 crew members and tourists on board.

‘Everyone was able to get off the boat in time. However, there were minor injuries from the incident.’

A report said three tourists were injured along with the captain, a guide and the boat’s mechanic.

Later reports said that two were injured with burns and were taken to a waiting ambulance and transferred to hospital.

One report said the vessel had made a swimming stop when the engine exploded and ignited – but for this the casualties would have been far higher. Authorities are yet to comment on what happened.

‘The fire was caused by an engine malfunction,’ it said

‘While rescue services were getting to the site, the boat washed up on the shore, where it completely burned out.’

This is the latest disaster involving a vessel in the last week after a tourist submarine with 45 Russian citizens on board sank off the coast of Egypt.

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Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Iran unless a new nuclear deal is reached, only escalating tensions in a region already on edge.

‘If they do not make a deal, there will be bombing,’ the US president told NBC News on Sunday.

He added: ‘There is a chance that if they do not make a deal, that I will do secondary tariffs on them like I did four years ago, that brought them to a position that they very much wanted to be.’

Iran’s leaders fired back, warning that ‘someone in a glass room does not throw stones at anyone’ – a clear reference to America’s military presence in the Middle East.

Iran fires back at Trump’s bomb threat

Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said: ‘The Americans have at least 10 bases with 50,000 troops in the region, which means they are sitting in a glass room.’

With more than a dozen US bases in the region – all within Iran’s missile range – the exchange of threats has reignited fears that a miscalculation could spark a devastating war.

As of October 2024, US defence officials said there were at least 43,000 servicemembers in the Middle East, many on ships at sea, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

In total, the US has military facilities across at least 19 sites – eight of them considered to be permanent by many regional analysts – in countries like Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates.

The US military also uses large bases in Djibouti and Turkey, which are part of other regional commands but often contribute significantly to missions in the Middle East.

Iran’s military arsenal largest in region

Meanwhile, Iran boasts more than 3,000 ballistic missiles, the largest arsenal in the Middle East, and has shown willingness to use them if it is pushed into a corner.

This arsenal does not include its burgeoning land-attack cruise missile force.

Vast improvements have also been made over the past decade in the precision and accuracy of the missiles.

Many Iranian missiles are also inherently capable of carrying nuclear payloads, which has long been an international concern.

Timeline of nuclear fallout

The first steps of the fallout between Iran and the US were made during Trump’s first term in the White House, in 2017-2021.

A 2015 deal with global superpowers required Iran to limit its nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief.

But in 2018, the US leader withdrew, imposing sweeping sanctions.

It was after that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that Iran had amassed enough fissile material for multiple bombs but had made no effort to build one.

On March 7, Trump said he had written to Khamenei, warning that he must either agree to fresh negotiations or face a military confrontation.

But Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian has ruled out direct negotiations with the Trump administration over the country’s nuclear programme.

Instead, he has signalled a willingness for ‘indirect talks’.

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The largest ever EuroMillions jackpot has been scooped by one lucky man in Austria.

He won £209,000,000 on Friday night after spending just €10 on online tickets, according to Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung.

The man’s identity hasn’t been revealed and it’s not yet clear if he’s chosen to remain anonymous.

Many jackpot winners do, although UK couple Joe and Jess Thwaite, who won the fifth largest amount, €215 million (around £184 million at the time) in May 2022, did go public.

They said they didn’t want to burden friends and family with such a big secret.

More about the Thwaites and others who have gone public

Joe was 49 at the time of the win and working as communications sales engineer and Jess, was 44 and a business manager of a hairdressing salon.

The parents-of-two, from Gloucestershire, said the phenomenal win ‘gives us time to dream which we haven’t had before’.

Their first purchase was a chest of drawers and a wardrobe for their bedroom – but they said their number one priority was supporting family members after a ‘hard few years, just like many people and families across the country’.

Joe said he normally bought a EuroMillions Lucky Dip ticket ‘because it’s easier’ and purchased the winning ticket on The National Lottery App.

They had no idea of the result until Joe woke up at 5.15am the next morning to tend to their dogs – and received an email saying ‘Good news, you’ve won a prize’.

Showing extreme self control, Joe didn’t wake up his wife to share the news after seeing the nine-figure prize.

‘I saw how much and I didn’t know what to do’, he said. ‘I couldn’t go back to sleep, I didn’t want to wake Jess up so I just laid there for what seemed like forever.

‘I spent some time searching for property with no budget limit, which was a novelty!’

When the alarm finally rang, Joe turned to Jess and said: ‘I’ve got a secret, I’ve got something to tell you.’

Hearing the news in disbelief, his wife thought he was joking, concluded that it wasn’t worth getting too excited about as it probably wasn’t true and got up to make a coffee.

But, after going about their normal morning routine, the pair called dedicated phone number when the lines opened at 8am and were told they had just become the UK’s then biggest-ever winners.

While many of us would call our managers to say we weren’t coming in and crack out the champagne, Jess and Joe went about their normal day, doing the school run and settling down to work from home.

Unable to keep the news in, Jess met her mum in a car park before work – with her screaming reaction bringing it home how life-changing the money would be and both breaking down in tears.

The couple have acknowledged their previous financial situation was ‘not horrendous’ but say the cost of living crisis had ‘affected our lives’.

Jess said: ‘Just like many people and families across the country, the last few years have been hard. My sister and I have tried to look after the business and the 20 staff, but times are difficult in hairdressing. 

‘Joe has been working hard and we have always tried to put everything into doing the best we can for the children.

‘We’ve had one week to think about this and we now have time to share lots of experiences and go on adventures with our family and friends.’

One couple who scored a £115 million EuroMillions jackpot had given away more than half of their winnings to loved ones, charities and those in need during the coronavirus crisis within two years of wining.

Frances Connolly wrote a list of 50 close friends and family to help as she was too excited to sleep on the night she and husband Patrick, 56, secured their fortune on New Year’s Day 2019.

Almost two years on, the pair had given away £60 million – extending their generosity to health workers on the Covid-19 frontline, care home residents, hospital patients and hundreds of other people.

The husband and wife, from Moira, County Down, vowed to not become part of the ‘jet set’ when they celebrated their win with a hug and a cup of tea.

They stayed true to their promise, laughing off the opportunity to live in a 15-bed stately home and deciding against flying first class to New Zealand to visit their daughter. They say they could have helped a young couple pay off a mortgage with the ticket price.

Another couple who went public with a EuroMillions win was Richard and Debbie Nuttall, from Colne, Lancashire.

They scooped £61.7 million share of a £123 million jackpot in January 2024.

They were in Fuerteventura celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary in January when an email from the National Lottery told them they had exciting news.

Mr Nuttall, a self-employed accountant, said when he checked his account online he saw a win of £2.60.

He said: ‘So I went through to Debs and I said we’ve won £2.60 on the lottery and she was like: “Woohoo, we’ll go and have a bacon butty or something with that.”‘

But he later realised the £2.60 was from a win in November and when he logged in again later that day, after another email, he saw a figure of £61,708,231.

He tried to call the National Lottery from Fuerteventura but a bad signal in the Canary Island meant four calls kept cutting out.

‘I’m thinking, “this is a scam, someone’s trying to extract information out of me inch by inch,”‘ he said.

He said: ‘Obviously we were stunned but also very excited at the time, it was almost like Del Boy and Rodney when they come out of Sotheby’s and they start cheering and punching the air, the car was rocking.’

And in 2016 Sonia Davies, then 53, and her family won £61 million on the EuroMillions after she asked her daughter to buy tickets because she was ‘on a roll’ days after having a potentially deadly tumour removed.

The mum was in the US for the pioneering surgery when she called her eldest daughter, Stephanie, 23, back home in Wales, and asked her to pick up some tickets for the family syndicate and said ‘we’re on a winning streak’.

Stephanie bought six lucky dips with 40 minutes to spare before the deadline, and one of those turned out to be very lucky.

Admin assistant Sonia said: ‘I felt cured by the Friday and was a multi-millionaire by the evening, it was just unreal.’

What have EuroMillions winners bought in the past?

In the past, people who have gone public with lottery wins have chosen to spend their cash on new houses, cars, holidays and on their family and friends.

‘The people who spend the money too quickly are a very, very small percentage,’ Andy Carter, who was a Senior Winner’s Advisor at former Lottery owners Camelot, previously told the Metro.

‘The vast majority of winners are very conservative – they have been blessed with a huge amount of money and they want to protect it.’

Can winning the lottery bring more misery than joy?

Although many winners, like Andy said, are careful with their money history has a fair few examples of winners who haven’t been so cautious and their lives have taken a turn for the worse as a result.

Some studies suggest lottery winners in the US are more likely to declare bankruptcy within three to five years compared to the average citizen.

Around one-third find themselves in financial trouble – and it does not end there.

The pressure may force someone to spiral into depression, and lead to alcohol and drug abuse and problems with family and friends.

One such example in the UK is Michael Carroll, a bin man who won £9,700,000 on the National Lottery in 2002 – but declared bankruptcy nine years later.

Dubbed the ‘Lotto lout’, he gave £4 million to friends and family, including £1,400,000 to his wife Sandra Aiken.

But shortly after the couple wed in 2003, she decided she had had enough.

Over the next few years, Carroll appeared in court more than 30 times while a mansion he bought in Norfolk fell into a state of disrepair.

He has admitted he wasted millions on cocaine, gambling, prostitutes and drinking two bottles of vodka a day.

By 2013, Carroll was broke and homeless, so he returned to Scotland and worked in a biscuit factory and then a slaughterhouse before landing a job as a coal man.

Then there’s Adrian and Gillian Bayford, who won  £148,656,000 in August 2012, but are no longer married.

Gillian now has a conviction for threatening her ex-boyfriend, domestic abuse charity worker Gavin Innes, who she pushed and shouted at in 2017.

She then married convicted fraudster Brian Deans, before ditching him because he begged for more and more money after blowing the monthly allowance she gave him on cars, watches and trips with friends.

Adrian, meanwhile, turned to eating 50 Cornish pasties a day to cope with loneliness after being dumped by younger women, one of whom he dated while sending saucy messages to an ex.

Another jackpot winning couple to divorce after scooping big was Colin and Chris Weir, who won £161.6 million in 2011.

They split up some months before Colin died of sepsis and an acute kidney injury in December 2019, at the age of 71.

By then he had spent half his £80million share of the fortune on cars, property and a controlling stake in his favourite football club, Partick Thistle.

The former TV cameraman also donated millions to the Scottish National Party and the pro-independence Yes campaign ahead of the 2014 referendum.

What actually happens when you win the EuroMillions?

If you find yourself in the almost impossible-to-imagine situation of having a winning lottery ticket, the first thing to do (once you’ve finished screaming into a pillow or jumping up and down) is to turn the ticket over and find the phone number to ring.

Andy explained: ‘If you were to win the EuroMillions tomorrow night, you would check the ticket, ring the number on the back of the ticket and that would put you through to a lottery line. They would then get a member of my team to call you back.’

This first phone call to the National Lottery call centre is important, because it sets in motion the crucial steps that all lottery winners must follow to claim their prize.

How does the National Lottery contact winners?

From the moment you realise you’ve won to actually getting the money, winners are looked after every step of the way by a dedicated team of National Lottery ‘Winner’s Advisors’ like Andy.

It is their job to support winners through the entire process so they can begin to enjoy their life-changing win.

Andy, or one of his advisor team members, will call lottery winners back as quickly as possible once they receive news that a EuroMillions prize has been claimed.

After the initial phone call with the winners’ advisor team, Andy or one of his colleagues will visit the winner, in person.

Ideally, you’ll get a visit the next day, or failing that as soon as the winner can allow.

How long after winning the lottery do you get your money?

During the home visit by the Winners Advisory team, a number of checks will be carried out to verify the winner.

‘Within half an hour I can tell if someone has won the money,’ Andy revealed.

As well as checking the winning ticket is legit,the advisory team are there to answer any questions that the winners may have and, as you can imagine for someone who has just become a (sometimes multi) millionaire, they have more than a few.

‘Sometimes we get to people’s houses and we don’t even open the computer for an hour because we just sit there and answer people’s questions,’ Andy said. ‘This could sometimes last all day.’

As soon as the winning ticket is verified and the ID of the winner confirmed, the Lottery can pay the winner their money on that very day.

However, once the money is paid into an elected bank account, it takes two days for the money to process before it can be withdrawn.

This means that the longest you have to wait before getting the money is around three days between discovering you’ve won the lottery and actually being able to spend the cash.

Where do lottery winners put their money?

Winners have no choice but to have their winning sum deposited in one, single bank account by the Lottery – so there’s no stuffing it under your bedroom mattress or locking it in your personal safe.

The winner can choose the bank they would like to hold the money with, but a brand new account with that bank is set up – usually with a private arm of that bank who specialise with dealing with large sums of money of this kind.

This bank account can be open for as long as the winner needs it to be, or they can move the money to other accounts once it has cleared after a couple of days.

Can EuroMillions winners remain anonymous?

Yes and as we mentioned earlier, many people choose not to go public.

‘All winners are anonymous,’ Andy confirmed, ‘This is the default position for all lottery winners.’

Andy also impresses that any publicity surrounding a winner is a personal choice and there is no set media schedule – every winner is different.

‘It’s entirely the winner’s decision if they want to share news of their win. We have an aftercare programme in place to ensure that all winners have access to legal and financial advice.

‘Sometimes we go to a winner’s home and we’ve already had media enquiries before we even get there because the winner wants to celebrate their win and mark it publicly,’ Andy explained.

‘Often the rule of thumb tends to be the higher the amount of money the more likely the winner will be to take publicity.’

However, if a winner does choose to keep their newfound wealth a secret, then Andy and his team are the only ones to know about the win.

He says: ‘It’s often the case that when a winner decides to remain anonymous, we are the only people that know about their win so we keep in touch with them for as long as they want to. Often they like to talk to someone or just let us know what they have been up to.’

Is your spouse entitled to your lottery winnings?

When it comes to the decision to keep a lottery win a secret or tell the whole world, you’d think that either way, one of the people to definitely be in the loop would be the winner’s partner or spouse.

But, should you want to keep your newfound wealth entirely to yourself, the National Lottery certainly isn’t going to tell you otherwise.

‘A National Lottery win belongs to the signatories of the relevant validation paperwork. How a winner(s) chooses to share (or not) winnings is their personal decision,’ Elanor Corbett, PR Executive at The National Lottery confirmed to Metro.

Are EuroMillions winnings taxable?

‘There is no tax on the win itself, but if the win produces an income through interest, then that will be taxed as part of your normal income tax,’ Andy explained.

Does EuroMillions money go to charity?

‘The only way the EuroMillions jackpot would go to National Lottery Good Causes is if the jackpot is won in a draw but, for whatever reason, the ticket-holder does not then subsequently come forward to claim,’ Elanor told us.

‘Unclaimed prizes have a maximum of 180 days to be claimed from the date of the winning draw. After that, the money plus the interest it has generated whilst it is held in trust, is passed over to National Lottery Good Causes.

‘Each week, The National Lottery raises around £30 million for Good Causes because every time a National Lottery ticket is bought a proportion of the ticket sale automatically goes to National Lottery Good Causes.’

Which countries have had the most EuroMillions winners?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, out of the nine countries that take part in the lottery, those with the highest populations have the largest number of jackpot winners over the years.

The UK, with a population of almost 67 million, tops the table with 132 jackpot winners since the contest started in 2004, while France, which has a population of around 66.6 million, follows closely behind with 130 winners.

Spain, with a population of 49 million, comes third with 122 winners.

Portugal, meanwhile has had 86 winners, Belgium 45, Switzerland 26, Ireland 19 and the tiny country of Luxembourg, 4.

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Ads for a Russian nationality on Facebook could in fact be a recruitment campaign for Kremlin spies, officials have warned.

Posters showing a smiling young woman waving a Russian passport have been popping up on social media in Lithuania.

‘Russian passport – support at every step. Russian citizenship for Russian-speaking Lithuanians. Without the need to renounce Lithuanian citizenship. Repatriation within three to six months’ the ad reads.

It promotes Russian nationality without the need to renounce Lithuanian citizenship -even though dual citizenship is generally not permitted in the country.

These ads may also be used as a recruitment tool for the Russian secret services, Lithuanian institutions have warned.

‘Russia is seeking to identify certain individuals who may be sympathetic to or have some sentiments towards that country to possibly exploit them in the future,’ Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the Crisis Management Centre in Lithuania, told broadcaster LRT. 

According to the centre, the ads are published by a private Russian firm, the Central Migration Agency.

It issues Russian international passports and runs a so-called repatriation programme approved by the Kremlin.

Lithuanian political analyst Gabriele Burbulyte-Tsiskarishvili said the ad is looking to ‘mislead’ citizens to renounce their nationality.

She said: ‘When accepting citizenship of another country, a citizen of Lithuania must renounce their Lithuanian citizenship (unless there are exceptional circumstances).

‘This has nothing to do with the information in the advertisement because the decision is made by the Lithuanian side; therefore, a person who has become a participant of the repatriate programme and has not renounced citizenship of Lithuania immediately violates the law and it is only a matter of time when it will happen set.’

The analyst added that the ad has been ‘circling’ on social media in Lithuania for awhile.

Officials in Vilnius have urged Lithuanians not to engage or respond to the ads and to report any suspicious activity. 

The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement it was illegal for the country’s nationals to hold multiple passports, without first securing an exemption.

The decision to take a Russian passport would also ‘expose men to the possibility of being drafted to participate in Russian aggression in Ukraine’, the ministry said.

Lithuania, which was the first Soviet republic to proclaim independence in 1990, has cut ties with Russia – not only diplomatically – since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

It is one of the Baltic states to have disconnected their electricity systems from Russia’s power grid in February, part of a plan to integrate with the EU and boost security. 

The nation is also doing everything to prepare for an invasion by Russia amid stalling talks about a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Lithuania’s government had already reinstated conscription in 2015, but in January, it committed to spending between 5% and 6% of its GDP on defence annually until at least 2030.

Metro has contacted META for a comment.

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Donald Trump has decided to get a head start on the pranks – with April’s Fools just around the corner – except he insists this one is real.

The US president once again floated the idea of outstaying his welcome at the White House and running for a third term.

While the 22nd Amendment makes that impossible, at least legally, he has long treated it as more of a suggestion rather than the law.

In a Sunday morning phone call with NBC News, he said ‘I am not joking,’ when asked to clarify a remark on seeking another term, adding: ‘There are methods which you could do it.’

The 78-year-old’s comments were the most concrete in terms of referring to plans in place to achieve the goal.

So, can the president stand for a third term? Will he? And what could the consequences be?

What has Trump said about running for third term?

It is not the first time that the Republican has dangled the idea of a never-ending reign in the White House.

He has previously ‘joked’ about running for life, reminding of authoritarians like Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and China’s Xi Jinping.

‘We have almost four years to go and that’s a long time but despite that so many people are saying you’ve got to run again. They love the job we are doing,’ Trump said Sunday aboard the presidential jet, apparently referring to his political allies and supporters.

With his latest comment, he could be trying to test the Democrats’ and the media before ploughing ahead with searching for loopholes in the US legal system.

Can Trump run for president again?

Under the 22nd Amendment, no person can be president more than twice. It was added to the Constitution in 1951 after Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected four times in a row.

It reads: ‘No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.’

Any attempt to remain in office would be legally suspect and it is unclear how seriously Trump might pursue the idea.

His own attorney general Pam Bondi said during her Senate confirmation hearing that he is unable to run for a third term under the Constitution as it now stands.

Asked if Trump was allowed to run for a third term in 2028, she responded: ‘No senator, not unless they change the Constitution.’

How could the Constitution be changed or overturned?

Amending the US Constitution to allow a third presidential term would require a two-thirds majority in both the House of Representatives and Senate, which Trump’s Republican Party does not have, or a constitutional convention called by two thirds of the states that would propose changes to the charter.

Both routes appear to be unlikely, given the current number of states and Congressional seats under Republican control.

Whether he goes through Congress or the states, he would then require ratification from three-quarters of all state legislatures.

A constitutional convention has never been successfully called in the US where all 27 constitutional amendments have been passed by the congressional method.

In January, days after Trump took office, Republican Andy Ogles of Tennessee introduced a House joint resolution to amend the constitution to allow presidents up to three terms.

What will happen if Trump is allowed to run again?

Pushing for a third term would put Trump in line with other controversial world leaders who have managed to defy legal term limits.

Trump would be 82 at the end of his second term in 2028. This would mean that he would be at least 86 by the end of a third term.

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Free accommodation, a car and a yearly salary of £330,000 – this is what a remote town with only 500 residents is offering to attract a new doctor.

Julia Creek, a small town in Queensland, Australia, is looking to replace its outgoing physician urgently.

Considering the package is about five times the earnings of an NHS doctor, it almost sounds too good to be true.

The only drawback? Whoever takes on the job would be the sole doctor in the remote area, with the nearest major city, Brisbane, a gruelling 19-hour drive away.

Prospective applicants must embrace searing heat and tropical insects as well.

The North West Hospital and Health Service is currently advertising for the role of a senior medical officer.

It had previously recruited Dr Adam Louws, in 2022, when the offer was a few thousand pounds lower.

He said: ‘My mother-in-law sent me a link to this news article saying, “the half a million dollar job that no one wants.”

‘My first thought when I saw it and I looked at it was, where’s Julia Creek?’

Before Louws arrived in 2022, the town had not had a permanent doctor for 15 years, with a roster of visiting physicians dropping in for short stays.

Janene Fegan, mayor of McKinlay Shire, which includes Julia Creek, knew that the town needed a good sales pitch.

She was involved in the local health service’s campaign that recruited the outgoing doctor and offered to promote the town again when the job was advertised in March.

‘We actually have a very, very good lifestyle and a very safe lifestyle,’ she said.

‘Yes, there is distance to travel at times, but how many people do you hear now wanting to escape from that and go off-grid?’

Fegan added: ‘You don’t have to stay forever. Just give it a shot.’

When the job was advertised in 2022, some health care analysts said the bolstered salary still was not enough to compensate for a solo doctor’s workload.

But Louws said working solo prompted him to learn medical skills that he would have sent patients ‘two minutes down the road’ for another practitioner to perform when he lived in the city.

He also fulfilled a childhood dream of learning to milk dairy cows.

‘The money is plenty. It is,’ Louws said. ‘One of the things that I think people don’t necessarily consider enough about this job is the other things that this town has to offer.’

Louws applied for the job three days after first hearing about Julia Creek, following study on Wikipedia.

Soon, he and his wife and four children were packing to move.

When he had been in the job six months, Louws said, he knew ‘nine out of 10’ people in the town by name.

‘It feels kind of like stepping back in time about 60-odd years,’ he added. ‘Everyone knows everyone.’

At the end of his two year contract in Julia Creek, however, the distance from his extended family had taken a toll and he plans to return to his practice in the city.

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Donald Trump broke the ice during crucial talks with Sir Keir Starmer by talking about King Charles.

The US President sent a friendly message to the monarch as he spoke with the PM ahead of a 25% tax on car imports and threats of wider tariffs on other goods this week.

During the phone call, the politician passed on his best wishes to King Charles, who had to cancel a recent engagement due to side effects from his cancer treatment.

His Majesty was spotted leaving Clarence House for the first time since he was hospitalised for ‘a short period of observation’.

Following reports about Charles’ health, a Downing Street spokesperson said: ‘The prime minister spoke to president Trump this evening.

‘The president opened by wishing His Majesty the King best wishes and good health.’

Number 10 has only a few days to negotiate an exemption from tariffs on imports into the US.

Trump announced a 25% import tax will be introduced on all cars imported to the US, a measure expected to hit British luxury car makers such as Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin.

The levy is on top of a series of tariffs set to come into effect on the same date, which could include a general 20% tax on UK products in response to the rate of VAT.

Trump has branded April 2 ‘Liberation Day’ for America, as he claimed the tariffs he plans to introduce will free the US from foreign goods and boost its domestic economy.

But Britain is arguing that – unlike other countries – it has a relatively equal trading relationship with the US.

Sir Keir has stressed he does not want to jump into a trade war, but he has said the UK ‘reserves the right’ to introduce reciprocal tariffs on the US.

Talks between the two leaders are said to be intense, with moves to drop or even abolish a British tax on US big tech firms among the bargaining chips.

‘They discussed the productive negotiations between their respective teams on a UK-US economic prosperity deal, agreeing that these will continue at pace this week,’ the spokesperson said.

Earlier this morning, home secretary Yvette Cooper told Sky News the government is ‘acting in the national interest’.

She said: ‘We obviously can’t keep a running commentary on different discussions that are taking place, but we have to always make sure that we’re acting in the national interest.’

Trump has now threatened to lump huge sanctions on Russia after his relationship with Putin turned sour over the weekend.

He said he is ‘very angry’ and ‘pissed off’ over Putin’s recent attack on Volodymyr Zelensky.

The President threatened the Kremlin with secondary tariffs of 25% to 50% on all Russian oil if ceasefire negotiations continue to hit a brick wall.

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A European rocket plummeted back to Earth just seconds into its flight, after smoke began billowing from its sides.

Footage shows the Spectrum rocket, developed by German start-up Isar Aerospace, being launched from the island of Andøya in northern Norway.

It lifted off from the pad at 12.30 pm (10.30 GMT) today and flew for less than half a minute before crashing into the Norwegian Sea in a powerful explosion.

It was the first time a rocket capable of reaching orbit was launched from continental Europe, Isar Aerospace said.

The 92-foot-long Spectrum is a two-stage launch vehicle designed to put small and medium satellites into orbit.

It is designed for small- and medium-sized satellites weighing up to one metric tonne, although it did not carry a payload on its first flight.

Despite the crash, the manufacturer confirmed the mission was a ‘success’ as it allowed them to gather a ‘substantial amount of flight data and experience to apply on future missions.’

‘After the flight was terminated at T+30 seconds, the launch vehicle fell into the sea in a controlled manner,’ it added in a statement.

Daniel Metzler, Isar’s chief executive and co-founder, added: ‘Our first test flight met all our expectations, achieving a great success.

‘We had a clean liftoff, 30 seconds of flight and even got to validate our Flight Termination System.’

The company had largely ruled out the possibility of the rocket reaching orbit on its first complete flight, saying that it would consider a 30-second flight a success.

The launch itself was subject to a number of factors, including weather and safety.

It was originally scheduled for Saturday and then Monday, but unfavourable winds meant that it had to happen earlier today.

Isar Aerospace aims to collect as much data and experience as possible on the first integrated test of all the systems on its in-house-developed launch vehicle.

Regardless of the crash, the flight is still considered a significant step for European ambitions to develop launch capabilities on the continents as it has no access to Russian space stations or launchers amid the war.

The European Space Agency’s director general, Josef Aschbacher, posted on X: ‘Success to get off the pad, and lots of data already obtained.

‘I am sure Isar Aerospace will learn a lot. Rocket launch is hard. Never give up, move forward with even more energy!’

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A solo traveller was left in a state of shock after stumbling on a pyramid dating back 150 years in a forest in Scotland.

Tom Prout was on a walk in Cairnogorms National Park, in Aberdeenshire, when he came across the ancient-looking structure, seemingly transported straight from Egypt or Sudan.

A video on TikTok shows the adventurer heading to the unexpected sight that many would deem impossible in the UK.

He told his 104,000 followers: ‘So, for anyone that thinks you have to leave the UK and fly to Egypt to find pyramids, let me tell you, you don’t.

‘I’m currently in Scotland in the Cairngorms National Park going to find one. And I’m gonna show you guys exactly where it is.’

Tom stressed that until a week ago he did not even know a pyramid in the UK was a possibility.

Famous as the ‘Secret Scottish Pyramid’, the human-made pile of stones, also referred to as a cairn, is one of 11 in the country.

It is located in the Balmoral Estate in Aberdeenshire and was erected on the order of Queen Victoria in memory of Prince Albert after his death in 1861. 

There are a total of 11 Scottish cairns out there, each commemorating events in the lives of members of the Royal Family.

Built out of granite and standing at 41 feet height, this one is the largest.

Tom described the pyramid as ‘the most surreal thing’ he has ever seen in the UK.

Speaking to his followers in the video, he goes on to say that he ‘didn’t even know’ that finding pyramids in the UK ‘was a possibility.’

The traveller said: ‘I was only ever taught that things such as this were in Egypt.

‘Now, I am not saying this is anywhere on the same scale but when it is surrounded by settings like this, you cannot beat it.’

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Donald Trump has voiced his anger towards Vladimir Putin – a major shift from the softer approach the US president has taken in ongoing talks to end the war in Ukraine.

He threatened the Kremlin with his weapon of choice – secondary tariffs of 25% to 50% on all Russian oil if his efforts to negotiate a ceasefire deal are thwarted.

Putin rejected a US-Ukrainian plan for a 30-day ceasefire, and suggested that Volodymyr Zelensky be removed from office as part of the process.

In response, Trump told NBC News: ‘If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault — which it might not be — but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia.

‘That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the US.

‘There will be a 25% tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil.’

The US president said the tariffs would come within a month if a deal is not reached.

He also stressed that he is ‘very angry’ and ‘pissed off’ over Putin’s recent attack on his Ukrainian counterpart, suggesting that Ukraine should implement a transitional government as any part of a deal, effectively pushing the war leader out of power.

Trump said that such comments were ‘not going in the right location’ for peace talks.

He further announced plans to speak with Putin this week and stressed their ‘very good relationship’, quickly adding that ‘anger dissipates quickly … if he does the right thing.’

There are fears the Russian president is ‘dragging out’ the invasion after Zelensky told European leaders at a summit in Paris that Russia ‘doesn’t want any kind of peace”

Since entering the White House, Trump has been pushing for a speedy end to the more than three-year war and holding meetings with both Russian and Ukrainian officials to facilitate it.

After all, the politician repeatedly touted that he would achieve a ceasefire on his first day in office during his campaign trail.

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Assassination, abduction or substance abuse – all part of a curse following lottery winners.

Players may see the lottery as a lucky ticket that will make all their dreams come true, as the Austrian man who pocketed yesterday’s £200 million EuroMillions jackpot likely did.

And as did the Britons who, only recently this year, saw £83,000,000 and £65,000,000 jackpots drop into their bank accounts.

But these tickets turn out to be a deal with the devil.

Believe it or not, the reality of scooping a jackpot is different to what many of us imagine.

History has countless examples of winners whose lives took a turn for the worse after scooping a large sum of money.

Some studies suggest lottery winners in the US are more likely to declare bankruptcy within three to five years compared to the average citizen.

Around one-third find themselves in financial trouble – and it does not end there.

The pressure may force someone to spiral into depression, and lead to alcohol and drug abuse and problems with family and friends.

One such example in the UK is Michael Carroll, a bin man who won £9,700,000 on the National Lottery in 2002 – but declared bankruptcy nine years later.

Dubbed the ‘Lotto lout’, he gave £4 million to friends and family, including £1,400,000 to his wife Sandra Aiken.

But shortly after the couple wed in 2003, she decided she had had enough.

Over the next few years, Carroll appeared in court more than 30 times while a mansion he bought in Norfolk fell into a state of disrepair.

He has admitted he wasted millions on cocaine, gambling, prostitutes and drinking two bottles of vodka a day.

By 2013, Carroll was broke and homeless, so he returned to Scotland and worked in a biscuit factory and then a slaughterhouse before landing a job as a coal man.

Alongside bankruptcy and substance abuse, there are instances of people facing threats such as kidnapping after winning the lottery.

In 1960, Sydney salesperson Bazil Thorne and his wife Freda scooped the equivalent of £1,500,000.

The couple became overnight celebrities, but the fame and fortune brought tragedy.

It was on July 7 when their son Graeme was kidnapped while on his way to school.

A hefty ransom demand was issued with threats to throw the eight-year-old to the sharks in Sydney.

His body was eventually discovered on waste ground in a suburb. The case is also known as the first kidnapping for ransom in Australia.

A popular Reddit thread attracted comments on the dark side of winning the lottery.

User BlakeClass gave their take on the pitfalls of a jackpot win, from unlucky tales of woe to what you should immediately do if you match all the numbers.

‘It’s something of an open secret that winners of obnoxiously large jackpots tend to end up badly with alarming regularity,’ they wrote.

Sharing some key steps people should take after winning, they listed: ‘So, what the hell do you do if you are unlucky enough to win the lottery?

‘This is the absolutely most important thing you can do right away. Nothing. Do not tell anyone.

‘1) Immediately retain an attorney. 2) Decide to take the lump sum. 3) Decide right now, how much you plan to give to family and friends. 4) You will be encouraged to hire an investment manager. Considerable pressure will be applied. Don’t.

‘Investment managers charge fees, usually a percentage of assets.’

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A tourist submarine incident that sank off Egypt’s Red Sea coast, killing six Russian citizens, is now at the centre of a growing mystery over its safety record and the cause of the disaster.

‘Sindbad’, which operated off the marina in Hurghada, was transporting 45 Russians on an underwater excursion when the incident happened earlier this morning.

Questions are now being asked about what caused the vessel to sink – and the security measured around such tours.

What caused the ‘Sindbad’ to sink?

Dr Simon Boxall, from the National Oceanography Centre at Southampton University, speculated that the submarine could have started its descent with its hatches still open.

He told Metro: ‘We don’t know why there’s been an incident. We don’t know if it sank. We don’t know if it capsized.

‘All we know is there been an incident quite soon after it left port. It means there’s a possibility that the hatches were open.

‘You wouldn’t really shut the hatch until you’re ready to dive on the actual reef.’

This would have allowed water to flood into the lower deck of the vessel where passengers would have already been sitting.

An account from one of the 39 survivors, Elena Boldareva, supports this theory as she claimed that the vessel began to dive with its hatches still open.

Egyptian authorities have remained tightlipped about the case of the fatal incident, which has left two teenage girls orphaned after their parents both died.

Who are ‘Sindbad’ Submarines?

The sunken vessel is believed to be operated by Sindbad Submarines, and it is understood that it has been operating such trips for several years.

But not much has been revealed about that specific vessel in the last few hours after the incident.

Dr Boxall said there are about 20 such submarines worldwide, adding that they are ‘not uncommon’.

‘Generally speaking, they’ve got a very good safety record,’ he added.

‘Obviously, in this case, the safety record has gone wrong somewhere. The website says the vessel was engineered in Finland, which is an odd statement.

‘If it had been built in Finland, they would normally say, “built in Finland” and the Finnish have a very, very good safety record and do build incredibly good ships.

‘So, we don’t know exactly where it was built or how old it was when it went down.’

How much do Sindbad trips cost?

According to an online tourism website for Egypt, prices to go on the excursion with Sinbad start at £58 for one adult.

Children can join for £30, but infants go free.

Have any other tourist tragedies happened in the Red Sea? 

Yes.

In late November 2024, five people were found alive after a freak wave smashed into their yacht, causing it to capsize off Egypt’s Red Sea coast.

11 people died in the tragedy, when the boat, reportedly called ‘Sea Story’, was carrying 44 passengers when it capsized at around 5.30 am.

Survivors cited by local media say that the boat capsized in about five to seven minutes.

One of the two British tourists who were rescued said it was ‘pitch black and the water was all around us.’

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British and French military teams will be deployed to Ukraine in ‘coming days’, Emmanuel Macron has confirmed.

The delegation from the UK and France will be sent to work with Ukrainian armed forces as part of a ‘reassurance force’, even if the idea is not backed by all European allies.

This was revealed after a summit in Paris aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s hand and its military, attended by Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelensky and other Western leaders.

‘In very specific terms, we agreed that the prime minister of Great Britain and I will instruct our chiefs of defence to ensure that a Franco-British team is sent to Ukraine within a few days for very close cooperation with our Ukrainian partners,’ Macron told reporters earlier this afternoon.

He made the announcement about the military delegation to Ukraine – but said the decision is ‘not unanimous’.

Such a force would also not be a substitute for any peacekeeping soldiers on the ground maintaining any ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

‘Nothing has been ruled out, we will look at sea forces, ground forces and air forces,’ the French leader warned.

‘This reassurance force should not substitute the peacekeeping forces on the contact line or the strong and robust Ukrainian army.’

He acknowledged that Vladimir Putin has not agreed to such a plan but ‘it is not up to Russia what happens on Ukrainian soil’.

‘So there will be a reassurance force bringing together several European forces and it will be deployed,’ Macron added.

Sir Keir later described it as a ‘deterrence force’, saying: ‘This is a force designed to deter, in order to send that message to Putin that this is a deal that is going to be defended – that’s the best description of it.’

It remains unclear which European countries have agreed to sending a team to Ukraine.

But the British PM stressed that US involvement is needed to proceed with the plan. 

Leaders in Paris also agreed that sanctions against Russia should not be lifted, and instead ramped up, until the war is halted.

Sir Keir said there was ‘complete clarity’ that now is not the time for the lifting of sanctions.

‘Quite the contrary – what we discussed is how we can increase sanctions to support the US initiative to bring Russia to the table from further pressure,’ he added.

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Two children have died after a tourist submarine with 45 Russian citizens on board sank off the coast of Egypt.

The bodies of six passengers were pulled to the coast of Hurghada, a city on the Red Sea coast, after ‘Sindbad’ capsized at around 10am today.

Viktor Voropaev, a Russian official told TASS news agency that two of the six people who died in the incident were minors.

Anaesthetist Ravil Valiullin, 40, and his wife Kristina, 39, a children’s doctor, were killed on the vessel, while daughters – aged 10 and 15 – survived and are now in hospital.

Four passengers out of the nine injured are understood to be in critical condition and fighting for their life.

At least 39 people have been rescued after the boat sank less than a mile from the Egyptian shore. It is unclear how many crew members were on board.

‘All passengers are Russian’

A statement from the Russian consulate said: ‘In addition to crew, there were 45 tourists on board, including minors.

‘All of them are Russian citizens, tourists of the “Biblio Globus” company.

‘According to initial data, most of the passengers on board were rescued and taken to their hotels and hospitals in Hurghada. Their health is not a cause for concern.

‘Diplomats of the General Consulate are on the pier of the “Sindbad” hotel.’

The group had paid for a sea trip to inspect the coral reefs in the Red Sea, which is infested with sharks.

The vessel capsized in front of the marina of one of the famous hotels in Hurghada.

Sindbad has been running tourist trips in the area for several years, but it is unclear if there are previous incidents on record.

Semi-submarine tours – involving a special boat designed for underwater sightseeing – have been running in the area for years.

Unlike a traditional submarine, it does not fully submerge and passengers can observe marine life from the lower deck.

Not the first fatal incident in Hurghada

This is also not the first fatal incident involving tourist boats in Hurghada.

A tourist boat called the ‘Sea Story’ capsized, leaving 11 dead or missing – including a British couple – back in November.

Over the last five years, there have been 16 incidents involving liveaboard dive vessels operating in the Red Sea.

Three liveaboard dive boats have been lost in the last 21 months, which all resulted in numerous deaths including some UK nationals. 

Britain forced to issue safety warning to tourists

Because of the number of incidents involving liveaboard dive vessels operating in the Red Sea, the British government’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) was forced to issue a safety warning for tourists.

These are some of the problems MAIB warned of:

• Safety briefings to passengers were of a poor standard or not conducted at all and crews appeared poorly trained and were unfamiliar with their vessels.

• The dive boats involved were poorly constructed and often substantially. modified/extended which resulted in some vessels exhibiting inadequate stability

• Essential lifesaving equipment was defective, out-of-date for service and, in some cases, missing

• The rapid spread of fire is indicative of poor structural fire protection, and items of essential safety equipment, such as fire detection systems and fire extinguishers, were either missing or defective

• Emergency escape routes were via lockable doors, had no emergency lighting and were unmarked

Chief inspector of marine accidents, Andrew Moll OBE, stressed that such vessels are unlikely to be built, maintained, equipped, and operated to the ‘standard of similar vessels in the UK’.

He urged British travellers to exercise ‘extreme caution’ when choosing a boat.

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A Turkish woman with a valid visa has become the latest victim of Donald Trump’s crusade to deport foreign students from the US who disagree with his policies.

Rumeysa Ozturk, who criticised her university’s response to Israel’s war on Gaza, was detained and had her visa terminated in what has been branded a ‘state sanctioned political kidnapping’.

Footage shows her being ambushed by plainclothes-masked Department of Homeland Security agents as she was on her way to break her Ramadan fast.

The 30-year-old had just left her home in Somerville, in Massachusetts, on Tuesday evening when she was surrounded.

Six people – dressed in black and their faces covered by masks – are shown handcuffing the PhD student and confiscating her phone as she screams for help.

Ozturk is heard asking if she can call police before one of the agents pulls out their badge.

‘We are the police,’ the agents are heard saying in the video, taken from an apartment window by a resident.

Neighbours said they were rattled by the arrest, which they said looked like a ‘kidnapping’.

Michael Mathis, a software engineer whose surveillance camera captured the arrest, said: ‘They approach her and start grabbing her with their faces covered.

‘They are covering their faces. They are in unmarked vehicles.’

The ICE locator database has listed the student as being held in the ‘South Louisiana Processing Center’ in Basile, Louisiana – more than 1,400 miles away from where she was detained.

Her lawyer, Mahsa Khanbabai, told reporters that her team is unaware of her whereabouts, has been unable to contact her, and that no charges have been filed against his clients that they are aware of.

He added in a statement: ‘Rumeysa Ozturk is a Turkish national who was maintaining valid F-1 status as a PhD student at Tufts University.

‘Rumeysa was heading to meet with friends to break her Ramadan fast on the evening of March 25 when she was detained near her home in Somerville, MA by DHS agents.’

Since her arrest, a DHS spokesperson has claimed – without evidence – that ‘DHS and ICE investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas’.

US District Judge Indira Talwani issued an order giving the government until tomorrow to answer why Ozturk was being detained.

Talwani also ordered that the student not be moved outside the District of Massachusetts without 48 hours advance notice.

A senior DHS spokesperson confirmed the incident and the termination of her visa.

‘DHS and (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans,’ they said.

‘A visa is a privilege, not a right. Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated. This is common sense security.’

Ozturk cowrote article criticizing university response to Palestinian issues and was one of four students last March who wrote an op-ed in The Tufts Daily criticizing the university’s response to its community union Senate passing resolutions that demanded Tufts ‘acknowledge the Palestinian genocide’.

Friends said she was not otherwise closely involved in protests against Israel.

But after the piece was published, her name, photo and work history were featured by Canary Mission, a website that says it documents people who ‘promote hatred of the US, Israel and Jews on North American college campuses.’

The op-ed was the only cited example of ‘anti-Israel activism’ by Ozturk.

Students and faculty elsewhere also have recently had visas revoked or been blocked from entering the US because they attended demonstrations or publicly expressed support for Palestinians.

Trump ‘s administration has cited a seldom-invoked statute authorizing the secretary of state to revoke visas of noncitizens who could be considered a threat to foreign policy interests.

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Nato was forced into a U-turn after four US Army soldiers on a training exercise in Lithuania were falsely declared dead.

A major search and rescue operation has been ongoing since Tuesday to find the group who vanished near the border with Belarus with a Hercules armoured vehicle.

The vehicle was discovered submerged in a body of water, but there was no trace of the troops.

Nato secretary general Mark Rutte had confirmed that they had died, but his comments were later retracted.

‘The search is ongoing,’ said a statement posted on X on Wednesday. ‘We regret any confusion about remarks Rutte delivered on this today.

‘He was referring to emerging news reports and was not confirming the fate of the missing, which is still unknown.’

‘The M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle the four missing US Soldiers were operating during a training exercise has been located in Lithuania,’ stated the US Army.

No bodies have been discovered, according to Lithuania’s defence minister Dovile Sakaliene, who visited the training site on Wednesday.

The US embassy in Vilnius said that the troops vanished in the area of the General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground near the city of Pabrade, but did not confirm when it happened.

‘The soldiers, all from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, were conducting scheduled tactical training at the time of the incident,’ it said.

‘Search and recovery efforts are underway.’

Helicopters from Lithuania’s Air Force and the State Border Guard Service have been searching the area since yesterday.

Authorities have identified a possible location of the incident and a force has been deployed to search for them.

The city of Pabrade is only about seven miles from the border with Belarus and has previously hosted large-scale Nato military drills to strengthen the Baltic borders.

President Gitanas Nausėda and prime minister Gintautas Paluckas said they were constantly receiving information about the operation.

But it is understood that the US and Lithuanian militaries have requested that no more information is released about the incident.

Fifth Corps Commander, Lieutenant General Charles Costanza, said in a statement: ‘I would like to personally thank the Lithuanian military and first responders who quickly assisted us in the search operations.

‘It is this kind of teamwork and support that demonstrates the importance of our partnership and humanity, regardless of what flags we carry on our shoulders.’

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Deep beneath the earth, Iran’s so-called ‘Missile City’ stretches through fortified tunnels, housing various weapons.

Newly released footage from Iranian state media offers a rare glimpse of the underground complex – one of the largest such facilities in the Islamic Republic.

The tunnels are lined with thousands of precision-guided missiles, state media claimed.

KheibarShekan (900-mile range), Haj Qassem (850-mile range), Ghadr H, (1,240-mile range), Sejjil (1,550-mile range), and Emad (1,050-mile range) are believed to be housed there.

Set to dramatic music, the video is a propaganda tool in a show of strength amid escalating tensions with the US and Israel, which could soon reach boiling point.

It is meant to be a stark display of military might, reinforcing the country’s role in the Middle East.

This is the third such location unveiled by Iran’s regime in recent weeks. Its military has previously released images of similar underground facilities.

This has caused some speculation that it may be an older site repurposed for a fresh media campaign.

Two senior Iranian military figures, chief of staff of the armed forces major general Mohammad Hossein Bagheri and IRGC aerospace force commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh are shown driving through the undisclosed base.

Bagheri is first seen walking over an Israeli flag painted on the floor before getting on the back of a military vehicle.

Addressing the facility’s personnel during the tour, he said: ‘Iran’s iron fist is far stronger than before. 10 times stronger than True Promise II’

‘All the [defensive] dimensions that are required for generating a [military] capability that is 10 times [stronger than] the one deployed during Operation True Promise II, has been created.’

Operation True Promise II refers to Iran’s missile retaliatory attack against Israel on April 13, 2024, in which 90 percent of missiles hit their intended targets.

Bagheri further noted that the pace at which the republic was developing its defensive might was ‘far faster than the pace of the enemies’, according to Press TV.

This comes as Donald Trump gave Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei a two-month deadline for reaching a nuclear agreement, according to Axios.

If Iran rejects his outreach and refuses to negotiate, the chances of US. or Israeli military action against its nuclear sites would dramatically increase.

The nation boasts more than 3,000 ballistic missiles, the largest arsenal in the Middle East.

This does not include its burgeoning land-attack cruise missile force. Vast improvements have also been made over the past decade in the precision and accuracy of the missiles.

Many Iranian missiles are also inherently capable of carrying nuclear payloads, which has long been an international concern.

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This is the title of the very first thread I stumble on after secretly joining a popular incel (shortened term of ‘involuntary celibate’) website to find out what it teaches young men about women.

Discussions about sexual assault, paedophilia and mass shootings grow more and more violent as I dive into some of the darkest corners of the internet.

Stephen Graham’s new crime drama Adolescence on Netflix has recently shone a light on the brutality of incel culture in Britain and how it develops online.

Metro has decided not to name the website in question, but a quick Google search led us to this disturbing world.

Apart from having to answer a few questions from moderation staff after signing up, my time was spent as a silent observer, sifting through a small portion of the 10 million posts.

So, what do incels really think – and say – about women?

As it turns out, this is not just a group of people frustrated they cannot get a date.

Most members I encountered believe that women’s true value is the ability to procreate and to fulfil the sexual desires of men.

In fact, to incels, women are not even seen as human.

This Is Not Right

On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a year-long campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women.

With the help of our partners at Women's Aid, This Is Not Right aims to shine a light on the sheer scale of this national emergency.

You can find more articles here, and if you want to share your story with us, you can send us an email at vaw@metro.co.uk.

Read more:

• Introducing This Is Not Right: Metro's year-long violence against women campaign
• Remembering the women killed by men in 2024

Incels blame them for their perceived failures to receive what is ‘rightfully owed’ in life.

That is because women always go for ‘Chads’ – the archetypical white alpha male, who is tall, muscular, square-jawed and with a full head of hair, who are seen as sexually desirable.

Women on the website are often referred to as ‘foids’ – used to indicate that they are not fully human, and are either sub-human or ‘other’.

This has led incels to develop further disturbing theories that women are to be sexually assaulted and physically abused.

‘Anyone wished they could go back to high school so they could rape foids with insufficient consequences?’, one member wrote.

‘I’m extremely jealous of the f*g babycels on here, 15 or 16-years-olds on here while going to school surrounded by all that fresh, virgin p***y.

‘It makes me go mad at how stupid they are for not taking advantage of status as babies in society and not raping their foid classmates.

‘This is literally the only time you will be surrounded in your life with the freshest and tightest p***y ever and yet you do nothing but watch all the little chads f**k them instead.’

Another with the name of ‘Scarborough Rapist’ replied: ‘Not rape but I would wait for them to slip up and do or say stupid s**t to me so that I can beat the s**t out of them.’

A third one commented: ‘I 100% see your point. As a kid you can kiss and grope without serious consequences. ‘

Further recent threads discussed ‘Why ethnic men are dating white women’, ‘If a woman is attracted to you, do you have the right to rape her?’ and ‘I got accused of rape.’

Another recent post read: ‘The ideal life as a man is to f**k as many virgin foids as possible.’

As I joined the website in November, nominations and voting was taking place for the annual Incel Awards – the first major community event.

Categories include ‘incel of the year’, ‘best lurker’, ‘biggest retard’, and ‘funniest incel’.

Alongside ‘foid’, ‘normie’, ‘Chad’, ‘blackpill’ and ‘redpill’, ‘roping’ is also one of the specialist terms often used on the site, which boasts almost 20,000 members.

Discussions about suicide linked to male depression are open, and men who show an interest in that are encouraged and praised as brave.

Members often complain about ‘incel struggles’ under the hashtag ‘suicide fuel’ on the website.

One wrote: ‘Imagine being an incel and finally have a family, but your son turns out to be a f*g.’

‘Looking at fellow currycells [a derogative term for Indian incels] getting foids and having sex is the biggest suicide,’ a member said.

Another thread accused women of ‘promoting male suicide’ and encouraging ‘ugly men to commit suicide’.

‘They want us culled,’ a member replied. ‘Women are evil,’ another posted.

One of the comments read: ‘That’s why you should never kill yourself. You are giving women a victory.’

A number of incels spoke openly about how their life will likely end with suicide, turning the forum feeds into a dark, self-loathing echo-chamber – and once you are in, it is hard to leave without help.

Like any other website, there are rules – albeit unsure how strict moderation staff are – that even incels have to obey to remain part of the community.

Firstly, women and anyone for the LGBTQ+ community are forbidden from joining and those who are not incels.

Members are told not to request personal romantic or sexual experiences, even if they happened a long time ago, or even discuss it – though this rule seem to be ignored quite often.

Perhaps one of the most disturbing rules is that moderation staff were forced to ban any content which ‘sexualises minors in any way, shape or form’.

Introduced only this March, it was changed two days later to ‘do not sexualise pre-pubescent minors in any way, shape or form’.

Another rule banned any ‘gay or LGBT content’, unless members were criticising it.

Posts celebrating an incel ‘going ER’ – committing an indiscriminate mass murder, particularly one that targets women – are allowed on the website.

But a member saying they plan to ‘go ER’ or are encouraging a fellow to do it are forbidden.

If left unchecked, incel culture has the potential to radicalise beyond the realm of social media.

Such sites promoting hate against women have been under scrutiny for years, and Reddit has previously shut down incel subreddits with tens of thousands of users.

Though there are members from across the world, a week after I join an ‘oldcel’ – someone whose inceldom can be attributed to being desexualised due to their old age – sets up a weekly meetup for UK-based incels in London.

According to the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), almost half of the web traffic for an incel forum originates from the US between April and June 2022.

Meanwhile, the UK accounted for 7.5% of traffic to the site during the same period, amounting to an average of 182,159 visits a month.

But the number of people self-identifying as incels in the UK is still unclear.

A report from CCDH in September stressed the network has a small but active membership ‘at risk of suffering harm and harming others, but poses a threat to a wider audience of visitors as well’.

The non-profit, which works to counter the spread of disinformation and online hate, called for the deranking of incelosphere sites in Google search and the deplatforming of such YouTube channels.

Further recommendations include addressing digital harms to children that drive users into incelosphere communities.

‘There is a growing consensus that social media platforms must do more to keep children safe online,’ the report read.

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A Japanese man who spent 46 years on death row was awarded roughly 3p for every minute he spent locked up after being acquitted.

Iwao Hakamada, now 89, was convicted in 1968 of stabbing and killing his boss, the man’s wife and their two children.

He was exonerated last year of the quadruple murder after a campaign by his sister and others, becoming the longest-serving death row inmate in the world.

The former professional boxer was acquitted after a DNA test proved that the bloodstained clothing which was used as evidence to convict him was in fact planted after the attacks, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

He had also accused authorities of carrying out ‘inhumane interrogations’meant to force a confession out of him.

Hakamada has since been compensated more than 217 million yen, which amounts to £1.1 million.

One of his lawyers, Ogawa Hideyo, confirmed to reporters on Tuesday that this is the largest payout ever handed out for a wrongful conviction in the country.

He said the money might help ease Hakamada’s suffering somewhat, but stressed that Japan had made a mistake that not even such an amount of money could compensate for.

‘I think the statehas made a mistake that cannot be atoned for with 200 million yen,’ NHK cited the lawyer as saying.

Hideyo had previously said that the decades of detention, mostly in solitary confinement, had affected his client’s mental health.

After Hakamada’s release, his lawyer said it sometimes seems like he ‘lives in a world of fantasy’.

Hakamada retired as a professional boxer in 1961 and started working in a soybean processing plant in Shizuoka, central Japan.

It was five years later that he was arrested for stabbing the four people to death in a case that became known as the Hakamata Incident.

He was finally granted a retrial amid claims that investigators may have fabricated evidence, and was released from prison in 2014. Hakamada was acquitted last year.

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A mother has been arrested after allegedly forcing her daughter to wear a shock collar that once belonged to the family’s dead dog.

Kimberly Cruz-Feliciano, 30, was taken into custody after her child arrived at the Cape May City Elementary School in New Jersey with ‘visible marks on their body’.

It is alleged that the pupil had to wear the collar while at home and would receive electric shocks when they misbehaved and upset their mother.

The victim reportedly told police the device was kept in the bedroom with items belonging to the deceased pet, 6 ABC reported.

The collar was charged regularly after the passing of the animal, according to court documents cited by the news website.

It remains unclear how severe the injuries were, but they would depend on the voltage, duration of use, and frequency of shocks.

The Prosecutor’s Office says Cruz-Feliciano would threaten more violence if the abuse was ever reported.

Police were previously called to the family home, but nothing came out of it.

One resident who lives near the property told 6 ABC: ‘It is just sad. I hate to hear something like that, I really do.

‘And it is right here in the neighborhood, and I did not know that.’

Cruz-Feliciano was arrested on Tuesday and was charged with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and other offenses.

Her mother, Sonia Feliciano, 59, was also detained and later charged with hindering and tampering with evidence.

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A Ukrainian model who vanished after a party in Dubai 10 days ago has been found on a roadside with a shattered spine and fractured limbs.

Maria Kovalchuk, who has a large following on OnlyFans, is now fighting for her life in hospital after undergoing three complex surgeries.

The 20-year-old was said to have left a party at a hotel in the UAE capital with ‘two men from the modeling business’ before disappearing on March 9.

She had told her mother Anna that she would be staying with the pair for the night.

The young woman had booked a flight to Thailand that departed Dubai on March 11, but never turned up at the airport.

Friends had expressed fears that Maria had been taken as hostage and her family filed a missing persons report.

She was eventually discovered on March 19 and hospitalised with critical injuries.

It remains unclear what happened in the days that Maria was missing and if authorities are investigating the two men she left the party with.

UAE police confirmed ‘that a Ukrainian citizen previously reported missing is currently hospitalised, receiving medical care with her family present.’

While not commenting on a sexual motive regarding her disappearance, the police claimed: ‘A comprehensive investigation has revealed that she sustained serious injuries after entering a restricted construction site alone and falling from a height.’

Her mother Anna who flew from Norway to be with her said today that Maria is expected to recover from her horrific injuries. 

‘She is getting medical treatment and everything will be all right,’ she said.

It was previously claimed that Maria had attended a so-called Porta Potty party, but this remains unconfirmed.

These are events where female social influencers are taken to and then paid huge sums to be subjected to extreme and degrading abuse.

Her mother said earlier of her daughter’s disappearance: ‘There is an assumption that she went to a party.

‘But the promoter who organised these parties did not see her. Maria was [eventually] found in hospital in serious condition. 

‘She has no documents, no phone, nothing. She underwent three [now four] operations. And she cannot speak.’

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Cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, dogs and albino mice – these are some of the animals tortured and killed in Bulgaria as part of a fetish practice known as ‘crush fetish.’

Footage of pets being subjected to unimaginable suffering, including being tied up, stabbed and mutilated, was uncovered on online platforms.

Gabriela Sashova, 26 and Krasimir Georgiev, 34, have been identified as the masterminds behind the operation.

They are understood to have raked in tens thousands of pounds by filming the torture of the animals and selling it online.

Their customers were charged between £40 to £600, depending on the pet involved, and even advertised ‘Black Friday’ discounts.

Police believe the videos are linked to ‘crush fetish,’ in which people derive sexual gratification from watching living beings being tortured, mutilated, and crushed to death.

Sashova carried out the abuse in rented rooms in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, while her accomplice, Georgiev, filmed it.

Some of the videos reveal them forcing animals into gruesome positions, including tying cats to leashes and running them over with vehicles.

Bulgarian media reported that their operation has been ongoing for years, with police finally carrying out an investigation after multiple complaints.

Authorities eventually discovered a computer and a smartphone holding gigabytes of footage of atrocities committed on animals.

Sashova and Georgiev have since been arrested and charged with money laundering, criminal conspiracy, and cruelty towards animals.

Petya Altimirska, chairwoman of the association ‘Campaigns and Activism for Animals in Industry’, which has filed a report with the Bulgarian Animal Protection Agency, told FACTI that hours of recordings were found.

She said: ‘The clips feature different animals, dozens of animals. It turned out that she also has a price list on her Telegram channel, in which she described how many animals, what clips she can make, and thus gives people the opportunity to order what they want to happen to the animals.

‘In addition, for Black Friday in November, she had made a promotion on her channel.’

The case has sparked mass public outrage, leading to protests in Sofia demanding harsher punishments for animal abusers and much stricter regulations on online platforms hosting such content.

Demonstrators gathered outside the Palace of Justice before marching to the National Assembly, where they chanted ‘We want a functioning police’ and ‘Jail them for life.’

Another protest was also held in the city of Pernik, about 20 miles from the capital, where the case is being heard.

The two detainees could receive up to eight years in prison if the charges are proven.

But their lawyers insist there is no direct evidence that they have received payment for the footage.

It is not yet known when the trial to be.

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Pope Francis appeared in front of a jubilant crowd of well-wishers on his hospital balcony following a extraordinary recovery from double pneumonia.

The 88-year-old has been discharged today from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital after a five week health battle, during which he was said to be in a ‘critical condition’ several times.

The Pontiff was first admitted to hospital in February 14 with a severe respiratory infection that developed into double pneumonia.

Pope Francis was met with cheers of joy this morning as he was rolled out in a wheelchair onto the Gemelli Hospital’s balcony.

The frail leader of the Catholic Church then addressed his followers before returning inside.

He briefly spoke on the 10th-floor papal suite, telling the crowd: ‘Thank you, everyone. I can see a woman with some yellow flowers. How good!’

Soon after Pope Francis left hospital in a white Fiat and headed back to the Vatican.

Doctors are insisting, however, that he now takes at least two months of rest and rehabilitation as he continues recovering.

His personal doctor, Dr Luigi Carbone, said if Francis continues his steady improvements to date, he should be able to resume his normal activity.

Doctors provided details yesterday on the severity of the infection, which the pope is still being treated for, and the two respiratory crises.

‘When he was in really bad shape, it was difficult that he was in good spirits,’  Dr Sergio Alfieri, who co-ordinated Francis’ medical team at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

‘But one morning we went to listen to his lungs and we asked him how he was doing.

‘When he replied “I’m still alive” we knew he was OK and had gotten his good humour back.’

Dr Alfieri confirmed that Francis was still having trouble speaking due to damage to his lungs and the time he spent on supplemental oxygen and ventilation, but he added that such problems are normal and predicted his voice will return.

‘When you have a bilateral pneumonia, your lungs get damaged and the respiratory muscles are in difficulty. You lose your voice a bit, like when you speak too high,’ Dr Alfieri said.

Francis has only been spotted once since he was admitted, when he was pictured from behind during prayers in a hospital chapel.

But in an update this morning, the Vatican said he plans to come to a window to greet well-wishers and offer a blessing.

The Vatican press office said yesterday that the pope’s overall condition remained stable, with slight improvements as he continues respiratory and physical physiotherapy.

He was continuing to reduce his reliance on high-flow supplemental oxygen he has needed to breathe during the day and no longer needs the mechanical ventilation mask at night.

Two of his closest advisers said Francis has been recovering well.

His chief of staff Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra said he had found Francis in good humour and serene during the three times he has visited the pope.

He visited Francis on February 24, March 2 and March 9, along with the Vatican secretary of state and Francis’s number two, Cardinal Pietro Parolin

‘The pope will recover,’ Pena Parra said on the sidelines of a book launch. ‘The pope is recovering well. The doctors say that he needs some time, but it’s going well progressively.

‘I found him well, serene, in good humour, and — just like him — tough with the desire to go forward.’

Francis hit the five-week mark in his hospital stay on Friday.

He was admitted last month with a bad case of bronchitis that developed into a complex lung infection and double pneumonia.

The Argentine has long battled respiratory illnesses and had part of one lung removed when he was a young man.

He has admitted to being a bad patient and is a known workaholic.

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An ‘urgent investigation’ has been ordered into Friday’s electricity outage at Heathrow Airport that stranded 200,000 passengers worldwide.

Energy secretary Ed Miliband said the British government is ‘determined to properly understand what happened and what lessons need to be learned’.

He said it would be carried out by NESO – the UK’s independent National Energy System Operator, and that the government was working alongside Ofgem.

The airport was shut down for most of the day on Friday after a fire cut off the power, forcing airlines to ground more than 1,300 flights. 

‘Home’ has been a far away concept for Aleksei* after he fled Moscow at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The anti-war activist had been living in Georgia for two years – and had planned to make it his permanent residency – when protests against Georgian’s pro-Kremlin government engulfed the capital Tbilisi. 

He originally fled Russia in 2022 to avoid conscription. Since then, he is among the hundreds of people who have been arrested in Georgia during the ongoing protests, which have been met with unprecedented police brutality.

But unlike other demonstrators, who, just like Aleksei, have faced beatings and 10 days behind bars, he was faced with the impossible choice of being extradited to Russia or leaving Georgia voluntarily.

The threat was so severe that in January this year, he bought a one-way ticket to Armenia, leaving his girlfriend and friends behind in Tbilisi.

This is the third time Aleksei has had to move in the last three years after escaping Russia – first crossing the border to Kazakhstan, then Georgia and now Armenia.

Fearing Armenia’s relationship with the Kremlin, he is determined to seek refuge elsewhere. But options for Russians – even if they oppose the war – are scarce.

‘I want to move to Europe, but it is hard with my Russian passport,’ he told Metro from his rented room in the Armenian capital Yerevan.

He added that he has to start from ‘ground zero’ to rebuild his life.

‘Another option is South East Asia, like Thailand or Vietnam. I would really like to move to Bulgaria, but it is hard, having to obtain a visa.

‘Serbia is easier, but I worry about the government’s ties with the Kremlin – it is the same like here, in Armenia.’

EU members have significantly tightened travel restrictions for Russians after the invasion began in February 2022, while some countries – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Poland and the Czech Republic – have imposed outright bans.

Citizens need a valid visa to enter the Schengen Area, which covers most of the continent, and since the visa facilitation agreement with Russia was fully suspended in September 2022, applications now undergo more extended scrutiny.

Aleksei said: ‘After everything I experienced in Georgia, I feel like there is no place for me. I am not sure how to deal with it. I never legalised my status in Georgia, I tried many times but it was not possible.

‘The Georgian police used this against me. It has become clear to me that I have less and less options and I will have to embrace a nomadic life. Now that I can work remotely, it makes sense.

‘But the feeling that you have less and less “space” in the world, makes me feel stateless. It is hard to deal with it.’

Ivan*, Aleksei’s cellmate in the Georgian prison, had a similar fate. Both fled Russia within a few months of the start of the war, so they formed a bond.

After their convictions, the pair were told they had to leave Georgia or face being deported back to Russia. Neither of them wanted to be deported, so they moved to Yerevan instead.

‘I am not a terrorist. I work, I pay taxes in Georgia, I am useful to society. Me being in Georgia was a good thing for the country,’ Ivan told Metro.

‘I know nothing about Armenia – culture, language – nothing. I was prepared to settle in Georgia.’

Few options remain for Russians seeking to escape the Kremlin’s regime as Europe is continuing to tighten its borders.

Governments are apprehensive about security threats amid the mounting cases of sabotage and espionage, including arson attacks, bombings, and even assassination plots.

Olga Abramenko, of the Anti-Discrimination Centre Memorial (ADC), sees a a lot of issues related to the human rights of Russian activists and anti-war protestors in both non-visa countries – where they can enter without a visa – and other states.

She told Metro said it is ‘not easy’ to be a Russian immigrant, even in non-visa conditions, in nations formerly part of the Soviet Union, like Georgia, Armenia and Kazakhstan.

Olga said: ‘Armenia, for example, was friendly to Russians thinking that it will help their economy. The political context has changed since the start of the war and now Armenia is leaning towards European integration and they want to have closer ties with the US rather than Russia.

‘Of course, this has a major influence on Russian immigrants. In Georgia,  there were many cases when anti-war activists were not allowed to enter the country as the ruling party is pro-Russian. So, people have had to find other routes.

‘In Kazakhstan, Russians are facing a different challenge. Authorities are refusing to renew their Russian bank cards, so people are forced to leave the country. So, even immigrating to former Soviet states is uncertain.’

Olga also said Russian authorities pressure former Soviet states to restrict the movements of Russian immigrants.

This influence is particularly sensitive for Central Asian countries, which are very much involved in labor migration to Russia.

‘That is why the government, for example, of Kyrgyzstan has to be, let’s say, loyal to Russia,’ she added.

‘There is also a big risk of extradition by request of Russia of activists who immigrate for instance to Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan. There have been such cases.’

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan an Armenia are also ‘not safe’ for dissidents due to extradition threats.

Olga described the political situation as ‘quite unpredictable’. Another step the Kremlin takes to curb the rights of Russian activists who flee abroad is stripping them of their citizenship.

ADC Memorial has observed some cases in which dissidents are ‘punished by the regime’ by having their internal ID, used to travel within Russia, and international passport cancelled, leaving them de facto stateless.

This means they cannot travel and seek help from a consulate anywhere in the world.

Olga estimated this has happened to at least ‘dozens’ of immigrants since 2022.

She said: ‘I don’t even know how to define this legally and whether it makes people stateless. All I can say is that they cannot exercise their right to free movement.’

Similar to Russia, its biggest ally – and neighbour – Belarus is also making an example of some activists abroad by cancelling their documents.

Olga said that some nations like Lithuania and Poland welcome Belarusian immigrants if their documents are no longer valid.

‘We would like to see such measures for Russians as well, but it is difficult because of the war.’ 

Vladimir Kara-Murza, one of the last surviving prominent opposition figures in Russia, said such ‘blanket bans’ imposed by the EU on his fellow citizens ‘make the Kremlin happy’.

Propagandists blasted on Russian radio ‘would have a field day’ every time new sanctions are announced, he said, recalling his days in a Siberian gulag when the only ‘entertainment’ prisoners were allowed was to listen to radio stations.

He said: ‘They would say, “We have been telling you, these Westerners are Russophobes, they do not hate Vladimir Putin, they hate all Russians”.

‘Such sanctions align with this message.’

Vladimir stressed that ‘nothing could be more counter-productive’ as such sanctions on travel do not affect the Russian president or his allies in the Kremlin.

Instead, it is independent journalists, human and civil rights activists, and in general, Russians who have condemned the war that are affected by the sanctions the most.

*In the interest of their safety, the names Aleksei and Ivan have been changed to protect their true identities.

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The Ukrainian president has claimed Vladimir Putin is planning to refuse a 30-day ceasefire deal – but that he is ‘too afraid’ to tell Donald Trump.

Earlier today the Russian president hinted that he supports the ceasefire proposal, albeit with a big caveat.

Russia’s president and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko delivered a joint news conference this afternoon as they meet in Moscow – about the two countries’ ‘friendship’, about ‘hostile and destabilising’ Nato, and the war in Ukraine.

But since then Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed on his Telegram channel that Putin is in fact planning to refuse the ceasefire deal.

He said: ‘We have all heard from Russia very predictable, very manipulative words from Putin in response to the idea of silence on the front – he is actually preparing a refusal as of now.

‘Putin, of course, is afraid to tell President Trump directly that he wants to continue this war, wants to kill Ukrainians.

‘Putin often does this – he does not say “no” directly, but does so in a way that practically only delays everything and makes normal decisions impossible. We believe that all this is now – another Russian manipulation.’

Ukraine accepted the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire earlier this week, with Mr Zelensky adding that Ukraine is ‘ready to work as quickly as possible, as constructively as possible’.

He added in his Telegram post: ‘We do not set conditions that complicate anything. Russia is doing this.

‘As we have always said, the only one who will delay everything, the only one who will be unconstructive is Russia. They need war.

‘Putin stole years of peace and continues this war – day after day. Now we need to put pressure on him.

‘We need to impose sanctions that will help. We will continue to work with our American partners, with our European partners, with everyone in the world who wants peace, to force Russia to end the war.’

Earlier today, Putin appeared to agree with US proposals to stop fighting, but said he needs to speak with Donald Trump first.

‘We agree with the proposals to cease hostilities,’ the leader told reporters.

‘But we proceed from the fact that this cessation should be such that it would lead to long-term peace and would eliminate the original causes of this crisis.’

He added later: ‘The idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it. But there are issues that we need to discuss.

‘And I think we need to talk to our American colleagues as well. Maybe I should call president Trump and have a discussion with him. We support the idea of ending this conflict by peaceful means.’

But Russia and the US have yet to agree on a possible phone call between the two leaders, a Kremlin aide said.

One of the announcements, made during the conference also focused on ‘amendments’ on the equal rights of citizens of Russia and Belarus.

This allowed Russian and Belarusian citizens stand in local elections in both countries – a likely test run for deeper political integration.

‘Citizens of Russia and Belarus will be able to participate in local elections in both countries,’ Putin told reporters.

This is yet another sign of Putin’s persisting takeover of the neighbouring nation.

Lukashenko and Putin announced ‘the mutual security treaty between Russia and Belarus entered into force today’ and jointly accused Nato of ‘destabilising’ and ‘hostile’ actions in Ukraine.

Putin said he has discussed with Lukashenko ‘a number of questions on creating a common defence area’ and says Russian military is placed in Belarus.

He stressed: ‘We have tactical nuclear weapons and defence systems protecting security, protecting the western border of our states.’

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American-style champagne and wine from US vineyards – this is the new world according to Donald Trump.

Never one to shy from a trade war, the US president has threatened to slap a whooping 200% tariff on wines and other alcoholic products coming out of Europe.

This is in response to the European Union’s planned tax on whiskey from the States.

He wrote on Truth Social: ‘The European Union, one of the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the World, which was formed for the sole purpose of taking advantage of the US, has just put a nasty 50% Tariff on Whisky.

‘If this Tariff is not removed immediately, the US will shortly place a 200% Tariff on all WINES, CHAMPAGNES, & ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTS COMING OUT OF FRANCE AND OTHER EE REPRESENTED COUNTRIES.’

Such tariffs would usher in a new kind of Prohibition Era – not one by law, but by sheer unaffordability.

The president stressed this will be ‘great’ for the US spirits industry, but many Americans might start cutting back altogether – that is unless they are willing to drink ‘champagne’ produced in the US.

The measures are part of a chain reaction started by Trump who unveiled blanket US tariffs on steel and aluminum from other countries.

In response, the European Commission said on Wednesday that it plans to impose counter tariffs on $28 billion worth of US goods from next month.

The EU executive said, however, that it remained open to negotiations and considered higher tariffs in no one’s interest.

Trump’s hyper-focus on tariffs has rattled investor, consumer and business confidence and raised recession fears. 

French trade minister Laurent Saint-Martin said that ‘Trump is escalating the trade war he has chosen to start’ and that his country would ‘fight back.’

‘France remains determined to respond with the European Commission and our partners,’ he wrote on X.

‘We will not give in to threats and will always protect our sectors.’

Olof Gill, trade spokesperson for the EU Commission, called on the US ‘to immediately revoke’ the steel and aluminum tariffs imposed yesterday in a briefing.

‘We want to negotiate, to avoid tariffs in the future,’ he said. ‘They bring nothing but lose-lose outcomes, and we want to focus on win-win outcomes.’

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